56th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics
Volume 59, Number 15
Monday–Friday, October 27–31, 2014;
New Orleans, Louisiana
Session VI2: MHD of Magnetic Confinement Systems
3:00 PM–5:00 PM,
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Room: Bissonet
Chair: Richard Fitzpatrick, University of Texas
Abstract ID: BAPS.2014.DPP.VI2.1
Abstract: VI2.00001 : High Performance Field Reversed Configurations
3:00 PM–3:30 PM
Preview Abstract
Abstract
Author:
Michl Binderbauer
(Tri Alpha Energy, Inc.)
The field-reversed configuration (FRC) is a prolate compact toroid with
poloidal magnetic fields [1]. FRCs could lead to economic fusion reactors
with high power density, simple geometry, natural divertor, ease of
translation, and possibly capable of burning aneutronic fuels. However, as
in other high-beta plasmas, there are stability and confinement concerns.
These concerns can be addressed by introducing and maintaining a significant
fast ion population in the system. This is the approach adopted by TAE and
implemented for the first time in the C-2 device.
Studying the physics of FRCs driven by Neutral Beam (NB) injection,
significant improvements were made in confinement and stability. Early C-2
discharges [2] had relatively good confinement, but global power losses
exceeded the available NB input power. The addition of axially streaming
plasma guns, magnetic end plugs as well as advanced surface conditioning
leads to dramatic reductions in turbulence driven losses and greatly
improved stability [3]. As a result, fast ion confinement significantly
improved and allowed for build-up of a dominant fast particle population.
Under such appropriate conditions we achieved highly reproducible,
long-lived, macroscopically stable FRCs with record lifetimes [4]. This
demonstrated many beneficial effects of large orbit particles and their
performance impact on FRCs
Together these achievements point to the prospect of beam-driven FRCs as a
path toward fusion reactors. This presentation will review and expand on key
results and present context for their interpretation.
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[1] L.C. Steinhauer, Phys. Plasmas \textbf{18}, 070501 (2011).\\[0pt]
[2] M.W. Binderbauer, \textit{et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{105}, 045003 (2010).\\[0pt]
[3] M. Tuszewski \textit{et al}., Phys. Rev. Lett.\textbf{ 108}, 255008 (2012).\\[0pt]
[4] H.Y. Guo, \textit{et al.}, submitted to Nature Communications (2014).
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2014.DPP.VI2.1